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Guardian writer Tansy Hoskins says building trade unions in Bangladesh will help to prevent another Rana Plaza disaster.

Hoskins, the author of Stiched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion, said freedom of association and unionisation is key to progress in the garment industry.

To read Tansy Hoskins's full article, visit:

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainable-fashion-blog...

In May 2013, UNI Global Union and IndustriALL negotiated the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety in the aftermath of the worst disaster in the history of the garment sector. The Accord is a legally binding agreement that aims to make the Bangladeshi garment sector safe and sustainable. More than 160 corporations signed up and the Accord now covers 1,500 factories and has completed its first round of inspections.

"Campaigners agree that the key to progress is freedom of association and unionisation of garment workers," Hoskins writes. Christy Hoffman, deputy general secretary of UNI Global Union, agrees: "There is no such thing as a truly safe factory without informed and engaged workers on the factory floor with an independent voice to raise problems and enforce solutions," she said.

To read Tansy Hoskins's full article, visit:

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainable-fashion-blog...